I Will Wait
by Ali989969
Summary: Sookie and Alcide are going through a divorce. Things are hard on her and their two kids. She leans on her friend Eric and learns some interesting things. Better description inside... *3/22/13* Note ratings change
1. I Will Wait

**AN: This is what's called "purging": a sincere Mea Culpa for everyone waiting for updates and an explanation for the delays. With everything going in my life, writer's block has been a bitch. I thought I had experienced it before, but now I laugh: that was nuthin'. So, while this has to be taken with a grain or two of salt and the clear statement that ****this is a work of fiction****, this is mostly biographical and hopefully a way to get me back on track. I don't own 'em, just all of Sookie's frustration. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Damn it, Alcide, you know this isn't fair to them!" I try not to scream into the phone. Not only does my soon-to-be ex-husband not pay a single dime of child support for his two sons, but he takes his new girlfriend and _her_son on fun little day trips. Trips that he breaks promises that he made to his own children to take.

"Debbie has the week off work and Jake isn't in school yet. You won't let me pull AJ and Hunter out of class to go, so don't put the blame on me for this," he growls back at me.

I'm pacing the bedroom of the house I moved into after leaving my lazy, alcoholic, unemployed, and increasingly abusive husband. I wasn't able to handle being so chronically unhappy and decided that I didn't have to live that way if I didn't want to. Our sons came with me since I was the sole money-maker and could provide for them. Surprisingly, although they missed their daddy, they were also relieved to be free of the almost-constant fighting.

The dark head of my oldest son peeks timidly into my room, his green eyes looking so scared and sad. He's so kind and good-hearted; he hates the fighting more than anything. On more than one occasion, he has thrown his tiny body between his father and I too prevent the argument _du jour _from becoming physical. I silently pull him from the door into my arms for a hug, kiss his ebony curls, and send him from the room for a snack. He doesn't need to hear this.

I close the door behind him and return to the phone call with my ex. "You promised this to the boys before Debbie ever appeared in the picture. They've been looking forward to this since the summer. Your obligation should be to _your _children, not your new girlfriend and her kid. Get your fucking priorities in order!"

"Mom and Dad already bought the passes. I can't ask them to spend more money to change the date!" Of course he can't. Not when they're paying his rent and utilities while his minimum-wage, part time job gives him barely enough to buy groceries. I hear him light a cigarette and the pop-hiss of a bottle opening. Beer. So much for his promise to me to stop drinking.

"Do your parents know the passes they bought are being used on your girlfriend and her kid and _not _AJ and Hunter?" I may not adore (or even like) my in-laws, but they love their grandsons without bounds and would never overlook the boys like that.

He's silent at my accusation, so I know I'm right. He lied to his parents. I sigh and flop on my bed. "Call them or I will… and I _know _you don't want that. Fix this. I will not let you break those boys' hearts because you can't stop thinking with your dick." I hang up to get the last word, hoping and praying that the man I married a little more than ten years ago will finally do something right for his children.

I plug my phone into my bedside charger and go out to the little kitchen. AJ and Hunter and sharing a bowl of chocolate Chex mix while watching SpongeBob. Ugh. That show is a damn migraine waiting to happen. I turn the TV off and pull a box from the bottom shelf of the entertainment center. "Let's do a puzzle before bed. Since you guys don't have school tomorrow, you get a movie for bedtime. It's Hunter's turn to pick."

We silently work together to put together a dinosaur puzzle before I declare it pajama time. AJ grabs his own and I help Hunter into his since he's only three and doesn't have the best coordination. I give him the movie options he can choose from while he struggles into his Elmo PJs. I tuck both boys in before starting "Finding Nemo". They both get snuggles and kisses before the lights go out and the door closes behind me.

I go back to my room and close that door as well. I cover my eyes with a pillow and resist the urge to scream into it. Since all Alcide did for the last two years was wallow about his inability to get a job in his preferred field, drink obscene amounts of beer and hide liquor in rarely-used cabinets, smoke like a chimney, and play stupid games on the computer, I've been a married single mother for more than two years. Caring for the boys has never been a hardship, although help from their father would have been appreciated from time to time. However, having to soothe them after Daddy yelled at them for no reason shouldn't have had to be part of my "Mommy" duties. Now, assuring them that Debbie and Jake aren't more important to him them they are breaks my heart. And the fact that the bastard says it's all my fault and he shouldn't have to pay any support for them because _I_ left _him _just plain pisses me off.

I see the message light blinking on my phone and I start a mental debate with myself. If it's Al leaving me yet another nasty and spiteful voicemail, text, or email, I'd rather not deal with it right now. But there's also the possibility that it might be my parents or someone I actually want to talk to, so I take the chance. Once I hit the little sequence to unlock my phone, the IM bubble flashes.

Al doesn't use the instant messenger; he doesn't know how. I breathe easier. I hit the flashing icon and Eric's smiling face lights up my screen. Hallelujah! I need to vent to someone!

**Sookiesez: **Thank Heavens it's you!

(The Hitchcock fan) **NorthbyNorthman: **Fuck, what's he done now?

My fingers fly as I detail to my best friend how Alcide has pissed me off _this _time. Eric and I became friends through work. He was our boss's boytoy and I was newly pregnant with Hunter, not even showing yet. We worked together well, training new hires for our tech company and teased each other good-naturedly in our downtime. When Pam was transferred to a different center, Eric and I got even closer. Since we worked second shift, it was nothing for us to go to IHOP or Denny's for a late dinner or early breakfast before heading to our respective houses.

As time passed and Alcide got laid off for the third time in two years, I become more comfortable leaning on Eric than my husband. For a single, childless guy, he gave exceptional advice. He showed more interest in Hunter's progress as my pregnancy advanced than Al did. He would fetch me snacks when cravings hit at work and would even occasionally join AJ and I on our day-off outings since all Alcide wanted to do was mope.

As such, it was no surprise that the first person I called when I moved out, after my parents, was Eric. He knew enough by that point to offer me congratulations rather than condolences. He even took me out for a celebratory evening of heavy drinking after getting Mom and Daddy to look after the boys.

**Sookiesez: **Do u think u can come over? The boys r asleep and I'm 2 damn pissed. I need 2 talk.

**NorthbyNorthman: **Give me 20. OMW.

I see the lights of his truck pull into my driveway and force a smile on my face. He doesn't bother knocking; he knows I leave the door unlocked when he's coming over. I hand him a beer when he comes into the kitchen and grab one for myself. We sit on the floor of my living room, facing each other over the coffee table. "I'm so close to hating him, Eric. How can I hate someone I loved so much not too long ago?"

He takes a sip from the longneck and licks his lips. "Well, it depends on why you're close to hating him. Do you feel bitter or jealous that he's moved on to Debbie?"

"No!" I exclaim emphatically. "Honestly, his having a girlfriend doesn't bother me in the least… at least not in a jealously way. I think what gets to me is that she and _her_ kid get to spend all this time with him and go out and do things with him and our kids get shafted in the process. He complains about not having money to buy the kids Christmas gifts and bitches at me because I can and 'won't share'. But his parents buy them passes to start their vacation at Six Flags, but got the date wrong because he refuses to put the school holidays on a calendar. Rather than pay a little to get the dates on the passes changed, he's taking his parents' gift to _our _kids and giving them to other people. It's not fucking fair to them!" Tears start to fall and I wipe at them angrily.

"Mommy? Why you cryin'?" a sleepy voice asks from the hall.

Eric intercepts AJ as I try to clean my face. "Hey, little man! What are you doing out of bed so late?"

Even at eight years old, he looks so much like his infant-self when he yawns and rubs at his eyes. "Hunter's snorin' and I heard you guys talkin'. Why're you so mad at Daddy?"

I just cannot bring myself to tell him. Maybe Alcide will develop a conscience overnight and give _his _children the gift that his parents assume would go to them without question. "Your daddy and I just had a disagreement. We had to talk some things out. Don't let it worry you at all."

"I know it has something to do with Debbie. Are you mad that Daddy has a girlfriend?" He settles his tall, long body into Eric's lap and leans to rest his head on my shoulder.

"Baby, if she makes your daddy happy, I have no problem with them being together. Do you and Hunter like her?" I tilt my head to look down at my oldest child.

He sighs, never a good sign from my happy-go-lucky son. "Jake picks on Hunter. He doesn't like that Hunter can do things he can't since he's in school and Jake isn't. Since he's bigger, he does little things like push Hunter down and say he tripped. I try to stop it, but sometimes he's tricky." AJ loves being a big brother and takes his role seriously. He doesn't stand for anyone picking on his little brother. "Debbie is okay, even though she ignores Jake being mean. She gives him dessert even if he doesn't eat his dinner, but makes us eat even if we don't like it. She takes Jake out to fun places and leaves us behind."

Well, _now _I have a problem. Trying to play Devil's Advocate, I make a suggestion. "Maybe she just wants to give Daddy some time alone with you and your brother."

Eric runs his fingers though AJ's dark curls distractedly and I can't help but grin as my son unconsciously leans into the strokes like a cat. "She has all the fun ideas for things we can do and places we can go, but they're always for after we come back home." His deep green eyes, just like his father's, look so sad at being left out of his daddy's plans. Plans that include a different little boy.

I take a deep breath and excuse myself for a moment. I tell AJ I'm getting him a glass of water before taking him back to bed. Once in the kitchen, I splash some cold water on my face to rinse the earlier tear streaks from my cheeks and literally cool off. I know he only works part time. I know he's living on generic Chef Boyardee and Spaghetti-O's. I know he begs for rides to work occasionally because he can't afford gas. But he doesn't need a Goddamned paycheck to enjoy time with his kids. He doesn't need money for a park, a playground, a fucking puppet show with mismatched socks. All the boys want is some genuine time with their daddy. Despite how many times he's bitched at me about actually crying for missing them so much, he's more than willing to let a woman he's only known for a few months and her apparent bully of a child disrupt the limited amount of time he's willing to give them.

I'm furious that he's treating them like this. I grab a small glass and fill it with water for AJ. He and Hunter leave in a week to spend a few days with Al before spending two weeks with his parents for Christmas. This will be the first time I don't get to see my boys on Christmas morning. This is the first year that Hunter is old enough to appreciate the magic of Santa and I'm going to miss it. The boys will have _a _Christmas with my parents and me over New Year's weekend, but it's so not the same.

I try to wipe my expression clean of the negative emotions before I head back to the living room, taking deep breaths and hoping my face isn't as red as it feels. I find AJ still curled up on Eric's lap, his dark head rested against my friend's chest, his eyes closed and breathing deep and even. Eric smirks up at me before rising gracefully to his feet, winking at me, and carries AJ to his room. I take the cup back into the kitchen and settle on the couch, sipping my beer.

Rather than take his place back on the floor, he flops next to me on the sofa. "He doesn't want to go, you know?"

"Hmm?" I ask, not really sure what Eric is referring to.

"To his grandparents' house. He _was _excited to see Jackson and Christine until Al told him that Debbie and Jake would be joining them Christmas night. AJ told me that he'd rather stay here with you."

Damn it. I'm glad he told me, but what can I do? We've ALWAYS split the holidays between his parents and mine. Since I had the boys for Thanksgiving, he gets them for Christmas. It's been the process for the past eight years, since AJ was born. I know he loves Gramma Chrissy and Poppa Jack, but I don't want to force him to do something he doesn't want to do. However, it would break Alcide's heart to know that his look-alike son doesn't want to spend the holiday with him, even if the reason is because of the inclusion of his new girlfriend.

I tip my head to rest it on Eric's shoulder. "Would I be a total bitch if I told Al to leave her and her kid at home so our boys can enjoy the holiday with their grandparents?"

He sips his beer over my head. "I'm not a parent, but if I were, my kid's comfort and happiness would always come before my own. That's the way it should be, right?"

I nod. "I try. God knows every now and then I would like some time to myself, but I will always be there for the boys when they need me, and sometimes when they don't. Every hour of every day, I belong to them. But I wouldn't have it any other way because those boys are my life. If something I brought into their life made them unhappy, the first thing I would do is find out how to remove myself from it. I just don't know if Alcide is selfless enough to do that."

He cocks an eyebrow at me. "The real reason you left him, right?"

"No kid should have to be a barrier between their parents. He and I used to fight civilly, away from AJ, but after Hunter was born, something broke. He would intentionally pick fights and push my buttons in front of them. It was a combination of that on top of everything else that was wrong that ended 'us'."

He drains his bottle before patting my leg and silently walking out of the room. I use the break to check on the boys. AJ's soft snores tell me he made it back to sleep and I can't help but grin at Hunter's baby snorts. I pull the blanket higher over him and softly smooth back the fine golden curls he got from me. I press a light kiss to each forehead before closing the door and heading back to the couch.

Eric hands me a fresh beer and sits with his own. "Pam's transferring back next month," he blurts out unprompted.

Oh. That could be dicey. Pam had been our training supervisor when I started in that Eric had been there for almost a year and it wasn't common knowledge that they were hooking up after hours. He overheard me talking to her about how I'd need a few concessions over the next few months, what with the nausea, exhaustion, and frequent need to pee. While she was asking me about the symptoms of _my _pregnancy, he misunderstood and thought she was telling me of her own symptoms and had himself a little freak-out. When he pulled me aside on a break to ask me about the conversation, I corrected his assumption. Thinking it would be funny, he told her about his misunderstanding. She wasn't amused. She broke things off between them and less than two months later she transferred to Phoenix, supposedly to take a management position at a new center. News that she's transferring back is surprising. "Office grapevine?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "She called me."

I choke back a laugh at his expression and wiggle my eyebrows at him. "And…?"

"It's not the same." He shrugs and looks completely unaffected. "It's not like we kept in touch after she left. If I'm really honest, things between us were cooling off when we had the misunderstanding. If she's thinking we're going to pick up again, well, that's just not happening."

I haven't seen him with anyone in a few months, so I know he's single. "Keeping your options open?"

He huffs what sounds like a slightly bitter chuckle. "Something like that."

"Oh, come on now. You've listened to me bitch and moan all night. How long has it been?" Eric is a serial monogamist and it's never taken him long to bounce back from a break-up and move on to the next girl.

"Umm…" The crests of his cheeks get slightly pink. Huh. I don't think I've ever seen Eric blush before.

"Oh, tell me. I guarantee my dry spell is longer than yours," I joke, but I'm sadly serious too. With the drinking, depression, and the almost-constant personality of a pissed off viper, even when Alcide was in the mood, the way he treated me was a turn-off. As a result, I hadn't had pleasure from anything other than my hand in over a year.

"It's… uh… it's been five or six months," he throws out and I didn't think it was possible, but he blushes even more. Why is he embarrassed?

I think back to the summer. The last girl I remember him with was a bubble-headed ditz named Ginger. She _hated_ me. She thought Eric and I spent too much time together to _not _be screwing, even though I was married. Now that I think about it… it wasn't long after I left Al that Eric broke up with her.

He sees when the comprehension hits me. As strange as it is, despite being friends for years, I've never once thought of Eric that way. Even when I resorted to pleasuring myself, he never starred in my fantasies. He's my friend. ONLY my friend.

I look over at him again, trying to see him with different eyes. Yes, he's good looking – almost ridiculously so. His tall, lanky frame, shaggy blond hair, and turquoise eyes never fail to gain him fans and groupies in our training classes. My type had always been dark and beefy rather than fair and lean – Alcide had been a perfect physical example of the guy I usually fell for. But as a person, not many I've met are better than Eric. Throughout the mess that my personal life has become, no one outside of my family has supported me like he has. He not only adores my kids, but they like and trust him as well. I know that I can rely on him and he'll always be there for me.

Can I even look at him romantically? Am I reading things wrong? I'm still technically married, although that fact hasn't stopped my husband from moving on. Most importantly – am I willing to damage or lose the best friendship I've had in a long time if I take a chance like this.

I ask Eric for a moment, grab my coat and purse, and step onto my tiny back porch. After pulling the parka on against the freezing December air, I indulge in my secret vice and light a cigarette. I quit when I was pregnant with Hunter, but the stress of the separation brought the urges back. I'm aware that it's a filthy, disgusting habit, but one I only give in to when I'm highly frustrated or confused.

The smoke hangs in the cold air, mixing with my misty breath when I exhale. Even though Alcide didn't hesitate to get a girlfriend once he was convinced that nothing he could do would bring me back, I don't think I'm ready to have another man in my life. The two little ones sleeping inside are all that I can handle right now.

Alcide and I were together for over thirteen years, since a few months before I turned twenty-one. We were married almost three and a half years later. There was no question that we knew each other well by the time we took our vows.

Right after our honeymoon, his job was transferred over seven hundred miles away. I was depressed and homesick; it was harder than I thought it would be to be so far from my family. I know I was weepy and withdrawn for most of our first year and he lost patience with me frequently. Then, after our first anniversary, I was pregnant. That made the separation from my family even harder.

Somehow we managed to stick it out, and after AJ was born, things seemed to get better. Then Al got laid off. He found another job within a few months, but it was tight. Less than six months later, he was laid off again. He refused to come out of his resulting depression to watch AJ, so I had to find a way to cover daycare as well as our mortgage and all the other bills alone. We were on the verge of losing our house and he treated me so horribly during that time that I almost left multiple times. Almost. I refused to give up.

Then he found a job back home. Ten minutes away from my aunt and only an hour away from my parents! We found a townhouse convenient to his job. I was exceptionally luck and found a job of my own after only a few weeks of looking. Things were going well for us and we "celebrated" almost nightly. My company promoted me into the training department after about eight months and received a hefty pay raise as a result. Shortly after that windfall, everything went to shit.

Alcide got laid off again. Budget cuts affected his profession, no matter what part of the country we were in. His depression returned and his treatment of me (and now AJ) deteriorated as a result. I did everything I could to deflect the treatment of AJ, soothe him when I couldn't, and keep my own spirits as high as possible.

A month later, right before Thanksgiving, I found out I was pregnant again. With the state of mind that Al was in, I can't say I was thrilled by the news. Looking back clearly, that was when things started to shift.

My parents had liked my husband. They had plenty of time to tell me otherwise even before we married. Suddenly they were extremely critical of my grumpy, antisocial, unemployed husband. His mood became even worse. When we visited his parents for Christmas, I was at the height of my morning sickness (aka – 24-hour nausea). Al and AJ were coddled and spoiled while I was ignored. It didn't improve the situation.

Hunter was born in the middle of the summer and that little butterball with his baby-fine blond peach fuzz wrapped me around his little finger with the first blink of his bright blue eyes. He charmed everyone with his single dimple and gummy grins.

Since AJ was about to start kindergarten, Al decided to be a stay-at home dad. He said it would be best so we wouldn't have to pay for daycare for Hunter and after-school care for AJ. All he would have to do would get AJ on and off the bus, feed and play with Hunter, and keep the house tidy. It would certainly ease my load since I would be going back to work on second shift. My company was not very forgiving in regards to needing time off for sick babies; we also couldn't afford for me to take any avoidable time off. I agreed to him staying at home with the boys, but something has changed and broken between us with being treated like a doormat throughout my pregnancy and maternity leave.

Somehow we puttered along for almost three years like that. The weekend it shattered started normal. My parents took the boys for a weekend of spoiling and to give Al and me some "grown-up" time… something I really had no use or desire for any more. He asked me out to dinner (my dime, of course) and went out for the seafood I was inexplicably craving.

All it took was a look. My smiling glance at a little girl dancing in the dining room set him off. He started berating me, saying he always knew I wished Hunter had been a girl. That led to him calling me a bad mother because of the hours I worked. Never mind that those hours were what kept a roof over our heads and food on our table. The criticisms didn't stop. I didn't do enough to help him around the house, I didn't care about the boys, and I didn't give him sex when he wanted. Upset that he was doing this in public (unlike at home, where this was a regular occurrence), I accidentally spilled my wine onto his plate. He jumped up from the table and started screaming at me in front of everyone. I handed the waitress my card, apologizing for the fuss, and left as soon as the bill was paid.

I made the decision not to speak to him for the rest of the night, no matter how he tried to bait me. I'd had years of practice at tuning him out. Once home, I took the time to look around for the first time in months since I usually just went to bed when I got home and straight to work when I woke up. Piles of dirty laundry dotted the living room floor. Dust and old food sat in clumps by the kitchen cabinets. Dirty dishes overflowed the sink and moldy pans sat on the stove. He hadn't done a single thing in weeks! I couldn't believe he was allowing the boys to wallow in this… filth.

I didn't drop my silent treatment during my appraisal of the condition of our home. I didn't say a single word during his criticisms and insults. It infuriated him that I wouldn't respond. He ended up pushing me into our dresser so hard and so many times that I lost my breath and had drawer-pull shaped bruises across my back for a few weeks. I managed to lock him out by threatening to call 911 (silently - I dialed the number and showed it to him, implying that I would hit send if he touched me again) and packed a bag. I made sure I had enough clothes to last me at least a week and left, with Al crying on the couch, trying to say he was sorry. I drove to my parents' house and told them that I was done.

The past six months have been hard. I moved into a place of my own about two months ago, just me and the boys. The only person throughout everything to support me unconditionally… was Eric.

I slump to my butt on the cold concrete. I love Eric, but as a friend. That's all I can do right now. My kids still don't fully understand why Daddy and I don't live together anymore and why he has a girlfriend. I can't bring any more confusion into their lives. They are, and will always be, my first priority.

But…

I remember Eric pushing AJ on the swing at the park while I rested my beached-whale pregnant body on the grass and watched. In my mind, I see him giving Hunter a bottle so I can get a shower and nap. _HE_ is the one that picked me up off the side of the road when my junker died. _HE_ is the one that came with me to the townhouse to help me pack and move my things to storage in his truck. He's the _ONLY _one to listen to me groan, rage, and cry over everything without a bit of judgment.

The porch door creaks open and his shaggy blond head sticks out. "You okay? You've been out here for a while. It's starting to get lonely in there."

I look down and see several cigarette butts at my feet. I haven't chain smoked in years; no wonder my throat hurts. I nod and lean down to pick up the butts to toss in the trash before following him back inside.

A sip of beer and quick wash of my hands, and then I'm sitting back on the floor across from Eric. "Sorry for getting a little spooked. I needed some time to think." He nods and I continue. "We've been friends now for over four years. In that time, you've done more for me and supported me more than the man I married. And I never once thought of it as more than friendship. Am I blind or are you really that good at hiding things?"

He smiles and shakes his head. "It _is _all friendship. It always has been. You were pregnant when I met you, and thought, at the time, happily married. I never let myself feel more than that. But when you guys split, I wanted to be sure to be available for you… however you need me."

"Can you understand if I'm not ready for anything yet?" My heart has been battered for years and I need some healing time. "I don't want to lose you, but I need to lighten my own baggage before I can give anything to anyone besides my kids. Can you give me that time, or is it all or nothing?" I ask, truly scared that I'm going to lose my friend over this.

He comes to sit behind me on the floor and rubs my shoulders. "Sook, it's never all or nothing with me. If things stay just the way they are now, fine. You're an amazing friend – funny, smart, playful – and I'm lucky to have you in my life in any way. But I also know what that jackass put you through. I get that you need some time. If you decide that one day you want more… well, then I'll be even luckier."

I relax into his hands as he kneads my shoulders. All my worries about Al, Debbie, the boys, my in-laws, and everything else dissolve along with the tension I've been holding in my back. The next thing I know, Hunter is climbing into bed with me and the sun is streaming through my windows. I don't even remember falling asleep.

I snuggle with my boys when AJ joins us. I'm feeling a little clingy right now and want nothing more than a little affection from the boys that make my world go around. I have no doubt that when I'm ready to try again, I will have an amazing man by my side. The same one that's been behind me all along, pushing me and holding me up while the boys and I move on to a better and happier stage in our lives.

**I Will Wait**: Mumford and Sons

Well I came home  
Like a stone  
And I fell heavy into your arms  
These days of dust  
Which we've known  
Will blow away with this new sun

But I'll kneel down wait for now  
And I'll kneel down  
Know my ground

And I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you

So break my step  
And relent  
Well you forgave and I won't forget  
Know what we've seen  
And him with less  
Now in some way shake the excess

'Cause I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you

Now I'll be bold  
As well as strong  
And use my head alongside my heart  
So tame my flesh  
And fix my eyes  
A tethered mind freed from the lies

And I'll kneel down  
Wait for now  
I'll kneel down  
Know my ground

Raise my hands  
Paint my spirit gold  
And bow my head  
Keep my heart slow

'Cause I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you  
And I will wait I will wait for you

**AN: MissyDee is amazing. She helped convince me that this was worth posting. Hopefully others feel the same. Reviews are like crack and are truly inspirational. Please let me know your thoughts. I don't see a continuation anytime soon, but I'm not discounting it for the future. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Now I'll Be Bold As Well As Strong

**AN: I'm terrible, I know. I should be working on "Don't You Remember", but my muse for that has apparently decided a tropical vacation is necessary and left without taking me. In all honestly, I didn't really intend to add on to this, but something about it was nagging me. I wanted to give them more than what I left them with. So a BIG thanks to RealJena and MissyDee for betaing this for me. This is going to be the middle of a three-shot. Enjoy what I have done to characters that I own in no way whatsoever.**

The boys are gone. Al picked them up at the halfway point between our houses. Debbie sat like a statue in the front seat while I unloaded luggage and crammed in as many hugs and kisses as I could for my little men before Al told me they had to leave.

I wait until I pulled into the driveway to let the first tear fall. I sit on my couch now, a ball of tissues in my hand, wondering what the hell I'm going to do with myself for the next fourteen days. Time alone and to myself is an alien concept.

There's nothing on TV I want to watch and all my housework is done. Without wrangling dinner, homework, baths, and bedtimes… I don't have the foggiest idea of what I did in the evenings before having kids. If I want, I can go to dinner and not have to make my decision on where to go based on the toy that comes in the kid's meal. Oh! I can go in and sit at a table… in a restaurant that _doesn't_ have a playground!

Before I can revel too long in this unknown state of freedom, I hear the side door into my kitchen open and close, followed by the crinkle of more than one paper bag. Long arms wrap around me from behind in a loose hug. "I figured you could use some comfort food tonight."

The smell of frying oil, corn, and spices reach my nose and I inhale deeply. "Oh God, you wonderful man! You knew what I wanted before I did!" I leap off the couch and join him in the kitchen. He's already at the table pulling out the goodies; a bag of still-warm tortilla chips, a literal tub of fresh salsa and a matching amount of guacamole appear while Eric starts unpacking the second bag. A perfect sized bowl of Mexican rice slides in front of me along with three chicken tacos. My mouth waters and he gives me the big grin he gets when he guesses something right. From the final bag he removes tortillas and fajita fixings and sits next to me.

The first time we went out for Mexican was hilarious. Everyone, Al included, thought I was weird: I had to mix salsa and guacamole together before I would eat either. Not only was it dip for the chips, but I would use it to dress my tacos and season my rice. I was pleasantly surprised when, at that first dinner together, Eric started mixing the two dips in a separate bowl. Seeing my shocked stare, he gave me a sheepish grin. "I don't like either of them alone, but I love them mixed together."

When I poured the rest of the salsa over the remaining guac, his smile grew. Realizing that even our little food quirks were in sync was another step in our growing friendship at the time. Learning more and more about him had eventually become my favorite part of my job and being able to spend that time with him daily (and getting paid for it) remains the best part of clocking in.

We eat our greasy, spicy, obscenely delicious dinner in comfortable silence. It's a unique meal as there were no tiny humans jumping around, interrupting conversations, asking for bites, or wanting to play. Silence, _especially_ a comfortable one, is a precious commodity that I don't plan on squandering.

When we finish eating, I hear my phone buzzing and I put it on speaker after I answer with a smile. "Hi sweetie!"

"Mommy, I eatted lunch, took a nap, eatted suppa and now I talkin' to you!" Hunter screams into the phone. I can hear AJ giggling in the background. Eric grins while watching me pace around the kitchen before taking it upon himself to clear the table and load the dishwasher for me. Once he puts the small amount of leftovers in the fridge, he heads down the hall and into my room. I'm not paying much attention since I have to concentrate to understand Hunter's excited exclamations. I talk to AJ last, getting a clearer description of the day's events. I wish both boys a good night and I'm hanging up the phone when Eric returns to the living room.

He tosses me my favorite pair of jeans and a sweater I haven't worn in years. "Get dressed, lazy bones. We're going out."

I look down at my sweats and oversized t-shirt – my usual weekend wear. "But I'm comfy," I playfully whine, knowing he'll persuade me to change anyway.

He grabs my hand and tugs me down the hall. "Nope. Don't care. You're a free lady for the next two weeks. I'm taking you out and you don't have to worry about babysitters or bedtimes or getting up on time to meet the school bus. You are going to have fun tonight."

I roll my eyes but decide to go along with his plans. It's not like I've ever been able to talk him out of anything. Besides, it's been a long while since I've gone out to just have fun and not have to worry about the boys. I spin Eric to face out of my room. "Go watch TV. I need to shower first and it's not like we're running on a timetable." He mock salutes me with his playful smirk and heads for the sofa while I enter the bathroom.

I'm _so_ glad things didn't get awkward between Eric and I; it very easily could have. But we've been friends for a while and his assurance that _that_ fact wouldn't change helped. I hear "Mythbusters" blare from the living room and roll my eyes again as I start the water.

When I go into my room to get dressed, I look over the clothes Eric has picked out for me. The jeans are my very favorite ones and I've had them for years so they're worn in all the right places and mold to my body perfectly. I haven't worn the sweater since before I was pregnant with Hunter. The deep v-neck straddles the line between sexy and trashy, but my B-cups tend to keep it on the sexy side. It's very short, showing some belly, reminding me why it's been so long since I've worn it. I try it on anyway, just to see…

The kiwi-colored argyle has always been one of my favorites, picking up flecks of green and gold in my otherwise blue eyes. Since I left Al and began making most of my (and the kids') meals instead of snacking and eating out, I started dropping weight like mad. Not stress-eating anymore didn't hurt either. While not back to the svelte figure of my early twenties, I realize that after having two kids, my body looks pretty good.

For the first time in almost a year, I bother with makeup. For so long, it was a time waster when no one really cared what I looked like. I remember how much I like experimenting with cosmetics and decide to play up my eyes with shimmery green eyeshadow and black eyeliner. Combined with the sweater, my eyes appear to be the same color as seawater in the sun. I pull on some heeled black ankle boots and head out to the living room. For the first time in a _very_ long time, I feel like I look good.

That sentiment is echoed by Eric's expression when I step in front of the TV. He's almost a cliché with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. I giggle and slide a finger under his chin to close his mouth. He blinks rapidly and shakes his head a little. "Damn, Sook! I've never seen you look like this before!"

"You know, if I didn't know exactly how little effort I put into my appearance, I'd almost be offended by your shock," I quip dryly before flashing him a bright smile. "But thank you regardless."

I had been thinking about what Eric revealed to me last time we spent some one-on-one time together. He truly is my best friend, but if there could be more, how would it be fair to keep things at the status quo without even testing out the physical chemistry between us? I decide to make that something to try while the boys are gone, just to see... just to be sure.

He starts the truck while I lock up and he helps me into the passenger seat so we can head downtown. There are a variety of clubs in a small area, making it perfect for a pub crawl. After he parks, I look around and laugh, glancing at Eric. "You know we're way too old for some of these places, right? And I'm wearing _way_ too many articles of clothing to be allowed admittance." I feel ridiculously old considering I worked at a number of these places before I was even old enough to drink. I shake my head and hop out of the truck and take a closer look at how the area has changed in the years since I've been here.

Eric wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me to Confetti's. Being a Sunday, it's pretty low-key, but just what I need. I greet the main bartender, who I worked with in this same bar over ten years ago. Eric and I play a couple of dollars' worth of touch-screen video games (I slaughter him) before heading up the stairs to the next level. He tries for the fifth or sixth time to teach me how to play pool and I'm declared hopeless.

I may not be totally ready to jump into a relationship, but I'd be lying if I say that I feel _nothing_ when a fit, solid male body presses up tight against my back to show how to properly line up a shot. When I miss and he goes to the other side of the table to take his shot, the tingles slowly disappear and I shake it off mentally. Eric is _just_ my friend. Nothing more. I can't help if I notice now how warm and hard his body is under his baggy t-shirts.

He clears our tab after I lose miserably and leads me to the next bar, right across the street. It's a true dive that tries to call itself an Irish pub, but it's really just a hole-in-the-wall owned by an ex-cop. He smiles when he sees us from behind the bar – he was my boss for a few months and Eric introduced him to his wife. We get pints of Guinness on the house and Eric challenges me to darts. I learn that my lack of coordination extends to throwing sharp things – not a good lesson to learn in public. I offer to pay Officer O'Kane for the broken mirror behind the bar. He shakes his head saying it's not necessary before Eric throws some bills on the bar and tows me down the block to our next destination.

I haven't had fun like this since Al and I were dating. Since I was the youngest employee in the downtown area (started waitressing at 18, moved to bartending the weekend after I turned 21), the bouncers adopted me as a little sister. Al isn't a small guy and my "brothers" dwarfed him. None of them still work here, but the memories of my time working at the different bars make me smile. They would have liked Eric _way_ more than they did Alcide… they didn't think he was good enough for me, even then.

We get to what is apparently Eric's ultimate destination. I've never really liked Cornerstone, even when I worked here. It was preppy and pretentious; by the looks of the crowd here, not much has changed. Eric hands me a black and tan, sips from one of his own, and tugs me up the stairs.

Now this is new. I haven't been here since I was a waitress and all it was then was an overflow dining room. They've obviously remodeled. The three walls not taken up by the bar are covered in huge high-definition TVs and each one is connected to some sort of game system. I look around in awe.

Eric laughs and pulls me over to one set up for "Rock Band". He checks out the guitar and microphone from the bartender and set it up. Sharing a smirk, we start playing. I have no rhythm whatsoever and my dancing is embarrassing, but I love singing and can match pitch, which is the whole point of vocals in the game. Eric plays along with the guitar track, flashing me little smirks throughout the different songs.

Drink after drink appears before me like magic while Eric nurses his beer. When I start slurring more than singing, Eric pays our tab one last time and gently leads me back to the parking lot.

The heat in the truck makes me sleepy and I slump against the door. I roll down the window and let the cold December air blow over my face. "Thank you for taking me out tonight. It's been too long since I went out and let loose like this."

He chuckles softly. "I bet. Can I guess how long?"

"Sure. I'll give you a hint though. It was shortly after I met you."

He looks shocked. "But you were pregnant when we met!"

I manage a slightly inebriated smirk. "No, I was pregnant when we became friends. There was a whole four or five weeks that we worked together before I was knocked-up."

"Shit…" he mutters, "how did I not notice you for that long?"

I stretch and giggle. "I used to be shy around people I didn't know. I had to get over that if I was going to stick it out with you exhibitionists in the training department." The cold air is helping me sober up a little bit.

He genuinely laughs at my comment. "That is certainly a truth. The shy don't last around us. So what was your last outing?"

I can't help but laugh loudly at the memory. "Halloween. I couldn't wear my costume to work, but it got a lot of looks when we went out. You would have remembered me if you'd seen it."

He side-eyes me with a raised brow. "And why couldn't you wear your costume to work? Did it not fit into HR regulations?"

I'm still giggling. "Of course it didn't! It was too short and showed too much skin in general. Al and I went to a Halloween party. He wore some pre-packaged, generic purple pimp costume that looked ridiculous on him. I wore silver heels, a sparkly green strapless dress that barely covered my ass, body glitter all over the damn place, and had my hair tied back in a pretty teal ribbon." He looks clueless, so I add, "I also had glittery wings." Still nothing; he's such a damn guy. I pull out my phone to find pictures from that party. I wait until he's at a stop light to show him the photos.

He repeats the look of wide-eyed, slack jawed amazement. I had been pretty impressed with my homemade Tinkerbell costume and it appears he is as well. "The only thing I really remember from that night is a Wal-Mart run after last call for syrup since Mom was making breakfast in the morning after babysitting for AJ. Everything else is a vodka-soaked blur."

"You wore _that_," he says slowly, "into Wal-Mart at… what… two AM?"

I can't stop giggling at the memory. "I shocked a few shelf stockers. They were lucky I wasn't drunk enough to throw 'fairy dust' at them."

He chuckles at the mental image. "I wish I had gotten to know you sooner."

I shake my head and crinkle my nose. "I don't think you would have liked me much. I was really unhappy when we moved back here. I loved being closer to my family, but that was it. I had just left all my friends in Indiana along with a job that I excelled at and was married to a man I didn't really recognize anymore. My fun moments were few and far between."

He pulls into my driveway and kills the engine, but makes no move to get out. "Well, isn't it good then, that no one is dragging you down anymore?"

I nod and stretch again, the alcohol still making me drowsy. "And I don't have to wake-up for the bus tomorrow! Do you know how long it's been since I could sleep in?"

He hops out and jogs around to open my door for me. He's such a gentleman. "I don't know exact dates, but I'm sure it's been a while. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Digging my keys out of my purse, I follow Eric to my door. "I plan to. I miss my boys, but this is a forgotten luxury. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

Shrugging, he rolls his broad shoulders. "Nothing exciting – cleaning, laundry, and some Christmas shopping if I have time. Why? You want to do something?"

I unlock the door and step in, groping the wall for a light switch. "Nah. I don't have any plans since I cleaned earlier and went on a laundry spree before the boys left. I guess I'll just wrap the gifts I already got and indulge in some truly horrible daytime TV." I wander thoughtlessly back to my room to change back into my sweats… not realizing that Eric is following me.

I whip off the sweater to throw in my hamper. "Damn, Sook! Warn a guy before you start stripping!" he blusters, spinning around to face away from me.

Arching an eyebrow at his back, I state, "You've seen me in a bikini and I can assure you _that_ shows more skin than this. You're being weird."

He still won't turn around. "I know. There isn't a lot of difference, but it's still there. I don't know why." He leans over and grabs my old t-shirt from where it landed on my bed earlier. "Please cover up."

I don't know if my nerves have disappeared with the boys' absence or if I've just been given the opportunity I was looking for. From behind, I reach up to his shoulder and force him to turn and face me. "What if I don't want to?"

**AN: I get to do cliffies so rarely… I like leaving it here for a little while. I'm almost finished with chapter three.**

**Also, some self-pimpage… if you are at all into Harry Potter (and I am a full on geek for that fandom), I started a story called **_**Maison du **__**Phénix**_**. I have become a little Dramione junky and wanted to make my contribution. You can find it on my profile if you're interested at all.**


	3. Use My Head Alongside My Heart

**AN: So here is the final chapter, which would not have been possible without the encouragement of MissyDee and the SUPER AWESOME beta job of RealJena. Read her stuff for hot sexy times. Just sayin'. This chapter is the reason for the ratings change and here I'm going **_**completely**_** into fiction… not a single thing here is based on more than a happily ever after. Enjoy.**

He stares at me, looking as though he can't decide what to think. "You're drunk, Sook. We're not even going here tonight."

"Maybe I finally have an idea of what I want. Did you think of that?" I ask, trying not to feel hurt. Why _shouldn't_ he think that this is just an effect of the multiple drinks I've had tonight?

He shakes his head. "What happened to just friends? That you're not ready for anything else?"

I sigh and sit on the bed. "I've been thinking a lot about that… and us. Eric, I'm not as comfortable around anyone else as I am around you. You're my best friend. You put up with me through the past four years: through a pregnancy, dealing with a newborn, Alcide's unemployment and disinterest in his family, leaving everything on me. I don't know what I would have done without you. I thought that, maybe since we have a little time to ourselves, we could see if there's more. If there is, we have time to explore it a little. If there isn't, no harm no foul, we can go back to being just friends and know that we aren't missing out on anything." I gather all my nerve and do what I've wanted to do since we played pool: I lean up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his, just to show him I'm serious.

He responds for just a second before stepping back. "How drunk are you?"

I think for a second. "Drunk enough to have the courage to do this. Not so drunk that you should feel guilty about taking advantage."

"Perfect," he sighs and dips down to kiss me again.

His lips are so soft, but firm against mine. He slides a hand under my chin and tilts my head for a better angle before pressing harder. I let my tongue run over his full lower lip and feel him groan against me. He opens his mouth for me and I let his tongue taste mine. They slide sensuously against each other and his other hand slides to the small of my back, pulling me tighter against him. He pulls back again, panting a little. "I think we can safely say that 'just friends' isn't an option anymore?"

I just nod, trying to catch my breath. "Yeah…" I trail off, unable to break my eyes from his.

He's having just as much trouble collecting himself as I am. "Should I go before things get out of hand?"

Shaking my head, I step closer. "I want to explore a little more, if you don't have any objections."

He closes his eyes and pulls me down to sit next to him on the bed. "Before we do that, we need to talk about a few things. What about the boys?"

It warms my heart a little to know that how my kids feel is the first thing he considers. "They both love you, Eric. You know that. They trust you more than their dad. AJ is scared of him most of the time and Hunter never wants to spend the night with him. AJ fell asleep in your lap last time you came over, cuddled up against you. He hasn't done that with Al since he was an infant. I think the boys would both be in favor of this." Their reaction, whether they would have a hang-up with my closest friend becoming more in our lives, had been one of the things I thought long and hard about over the past few weeks.

He looks astounded. "Not wanting to ruin the mood, we'll get into why a sweet kid like AJ is scared of his father later. Second, what about work?"

"Well," I start, "there's no rule against dating a co-worker. We work on a reliable schedule and have the same hours and days off, but unless we have new hires, we stay out of each other's way. Neither of us is a superior, so there's no conflict of interest. If anything changes, we can cross that bridge when it happens."

Nodding, he looks up at me again. "What about Al? I'm sorry to bring him up again, but I have to ask."

I nod understandingly, even though I don't want to talk about _him_. "I already filed for the divorce. If he hasn't been served with the papers yet, he should be shortly after he gets back from his parents' house. He **is. not.** a consideration. He didn't tell me about Debbie; that was AJ. He and I aren't together anymore; a court ruling and six more months are the only things holding up our total separation. I want to try this with you, Eric," I say softly and scoot closer to him. "Any other questions?" I whisper and start kissing the side of his neck.

"Uhh… no, I think that covers it," he groans and turns his head to claim my mouth again.

I haven't been kissed like this in _so_ long. I run my hands up over his biceps and neck, tangling my fingers in his shaggy blond locks, holding him to me. He puts one hand back at my waist and the other at the nape of my neck, letting his fingers play with my curls while his tongue dances with mine. I shift and wiggle, trying to find a more comfortable position since we're sitting side by side before giving up and leaning back onto my pillows, pulling him to lie beside me.

The change in position makes him bolder and the hand at my waist slowly slides up my body unhampered (since I never did "cover up" as he requested). At first, he just runs his fingers over the black satin of my bra straps, taking in the texture. He removes his lips from mine and starts nipping and kissing my neck, grinning against my skin at the goosebumps I get when he hits that delicious spot behind my ear. I shiver and he runs his palm over my oversensitive skin before nipping my ear lobe. "We need to stop before we go too far," he gasps into my ear.

"I don't want to stop," I hurriedly reply and pulls his mouth back to mine, swallowing his groan of pleasure when I wrap my leg around his thigh to emphasize my point.

He sits up and pulls off his t-shirt; I take the time to _fully_ admire what has been in front of me for years and never paid attention to. He isn't as fair as I thought, his skin still having a faint bronze glow even this far into winter. Pale golden hair is sprinkled over his delectable chest with small brown nipples. Defined abs and perfect hip bones are highlighted by the low-rise waist of his jeans and a bit more hair leads from his navel, disappearing into his pants. "God, you're gorgeous," I groan, running my hands over the torso I've never appreciated appropriately. I graze my nails over his nipples and am rewarded with a shiver and his eyes rolling back slightly. When they return to mine, they're darker and filled with an expression I haven't seen on anyone in a long time.

"Your turn," he growls and I immediately reach behind me to unclasp my bra. He moves my hands away and does it himself, sliding the straps down my arms and tossing it to the side. "Mmm… the reality is much better than imagination," he says, almost to himself. His large hands slide over my tummy and cup my breasts from underneath, weighing them, squeezing gently. He makes my eyes roll back when he mimics my action and grazes over my nipples with his fingertips. "You are so beautiful," he whispers into my shoulder before kissing his way down my chest.

Just the tip of his tongue comes out to play and he slowly circles the bud, speeding up my breathing. He moves back and forth, from right to left, never playing favorites. When he closes his lips around one and sucks, lightly pinching the one not in his mouth, I can't help but exclaim, "Oh GOD!" and arch my back, pushing my breasts more into his face.

Liking my response, he repeats himself on the opposite breast and grunts when I pull his hair a little, holding him to me. My neglected tits get treated to a good deal of his attention before he pulls away, kneeling between my legs. "If we're not going to stop, you're wearing far too many clothes."

I nod. "So are you," I agree and we immediately start working on our own jeans, trying to get them off as quickly as possible. He's faster than me and pulls mine down when I raise my hips. His dark blue boxer briefs show him off, in several ways, _far_ better than the board shorts we would wear swimming in the summer ever did. His attention seems to be captured by the tiny black bikinis that matched my bra. When he joins me back on the bed, I change it up a little.

As much as I like him touching me, feeling his weight against me, I want to feel him. I swing myself on top of him, straddling his hips. When I lean down to kiss him, I can't help but appreciate the rigid hardness I feel against my stomach. When I slide up against it, he groans and I repeat the move. He pulls my head down and this kiss is different; more fierce and passionate than any of the ones before. His hands wrap into my hair trying to regain control. I restlessly roll my hips, feeling him instinctually try to match my movements. His lips break from mine and begin teasing my breasts again; both of us panting desperately.

"I want to feel you, Eric. Please…" I whimper. It's been a long time for me and I'm wound tighter than I have been in more than a year. Surprisingly, I'm not scared about taking this step. Eric has been my best friend for so long, but the chemistry between us proves there can be so much more.

He nods and flips us over so he is again on top. Sliding my soaked panties down my legs, he moans hungrily when he sees me completely bare. Lack of action is no excuse to go ungroomed. He tosses the scrap of black satin to the floor and leans in to kiss me again. One hand cups my breast and the other slides torturously slow down my side to rest on my hip. He leans back to meet my eyes as his palm ghosts to rest between my legs. So reverently, his fingers run softly over my nether lips, making me feel even more feverish. "Fuck, Sookie, you're so damn wet," he murmurs in appreciation.

To have him touching me where I want him to, but not helping relieve this ache burning me from inside out is excruciating. I shift under him, trying to create some kind of friction. "No, little one. Let me do this for you, at my own pace," he orders and begins to ease my suffering. His fingers dip gently into my opening before sliding up to my nub. He just circles around it first, watching my reactions. I'm so on edge that I know as soon as he rubs over my clit, I'm going to fall apart. I just need him to do it.

Seeing the need in my eyes, he gives me what I want. As soon as his calloused finger makes direct contact with my sensitive bundle of nerves, I come, gasping out to God and Eric alternately. He doesn't let me come down though, In the middle of my orgasm, he pushes two fingers into me and curls them, hitting my g-spot with a vengeance, making me come again even though the other one hasn't stopped yet. He keeps pushing, touching me in ways I've missed, drawing out the pleasure as long as possible.

Finally, after coming for what feels like half an eternity, he slows his strokes and lets me coast down. My mind spins with the pleasure he's given me; ecstasy my body hasn't known in so long. When I open my eyes, his turquoise ones are locked on my face. He seems to be looking for something in my expression. I don't know what it is, but I know for sure that it isn't regret. I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and pull him down for another kiss and he releases a breath I didn't known he was holding. He slides his palms up my body and holds me to him tightly. "That was… God, that was amazing, Eric," I whisper against his cheek before moving my mouth to press soft kisses against his neck.

He's very hard and heavy against my thigh; his boxer briefs showing the strain his size puts on them with his arousal. I want him to feel as good as he's made me, so I smooth my hand down his torso, letting my fingers dance over the well-defined muscles and smile when they flex at my touch. Gently, I cup his erection through the cotton and revel in his moan. Softly, back and forth, I stroke him and can feel his pulse speed up under my lips at his neck. Moving up to the tender spot below his ear, I breathe, "Take them off."

His arms move swiftly and smoothly, releasing their hold on me to pull his constricting underwear down his long legs. I use my legs to help get them off and immediately start stroking him again. His length and girth are slightly intimidating as he's bigger than Alcide (who was by no means average). His lips return to mine, tongue thrusting against mine in time with my hand. I swallow his pleasured moans, feeling his hips flex in counter-rhythm to my movements.

"I can't wait, Sookie. I want to feel you around me. Fuck, please tell me you have something," he grunts, removing my hand from his cock.

I think hard. I haven't had the need to have condoms since I left Al. On a hunch, I open a box near my closet that has remained unopened since I moved. BINGO! I reach in and hold up the foil square like a treasure hunter finding gold. Smiling so hard my cheeks hurt, I hand it to him and climb back on the bed, thankful that the night isn't going to end early.

He rips it open eagerly and rolls it on. Hovering over me, he braces his weight on one of his forearms while his unoccupied hand probes between my thighs. Assured that I'm still wet, he lines himself up with my opening and slowly sinks into me. After so long, the stretching I have to do to accommodate him is slightly uncomfortable, but he is patient with me. When the fullness transitions to pleasure, I grind my hips up, urging him wordlessly to move with me.

He pulls back until just his tip is inside me before slowly thrusting forward again. Placing soft kisses over my breasts and neck, he sighs into my skin, "I've wanted you like this for so long…" Trailing off, he kisses me with more passion than before, emphasizing his statement.

I think "just friends" is _definitely_ off the table now.

I nestle one hand into his hair, holding his mouth to mine while the other strokes down his back, feeling his muscles stretch and relax as he moves in me. I want more. Lifting my legs to wrap around his narrow hips, I lock my ankles together. "Faster, Eric, please," I plead against his lips before kissing him savagely.

I feel his guttural moan throughout my entire body before he changes positions to grant my request. He breaks our kiss and shifts onto his knees, resting my ass on his thighs. Holding my hips tightly, his thrusts get faster and harder. "Sookie, I don't know how much longer I can hold out. Come for me," he growls, bucking against me, his thrusts becoming erratic.

I want him to come, to have that nirvana that blocks out everything else, that he's already given me. I know he won't until I come again. I reach between my legs and begin rubbing tight circles over my nub with one hand and pinch my nipple with the other. Seeing me touch myself excites him further and he ruts into me even harder. I know his grasp on my hips will leave a bruise, but I just don't care; it feels like heaven right now. Tightness coils in my belly and I only need a little more to push me over.

"Fuck… Sookie… Now… Please," he groans driving into me hard and that is all I need. I feel nothing but bliss as my thighs quiver and back arches up. Floating in a cloud of pleasure, I can feel him swell even larger inside me before he howls my name, jerking as he has his own moment. As we both come down, he collapses to my side. I scoot closer and rest my head on his chest breathlessly.

"I have to say… I never knew it would be like that with you," I mumble, suddenly very drowsy.

He runs his fingers through my sweaty, tangled hair. "I can't say the same. I always knew you'd be amazing." I nuzzle my cheek against his chest, wrap an arm around his waist and throw my leg over his, wanting to feel him as close as possible. I don't quite to know what to say. He dips to kiss my forehead. "This isn't going to be awkward. We know each other too well for that."

I can't help but feel nervous. Our chemistry is obvious, but I don't want a few months of awesome sex to ruin one of the best friendships I've ever had and Eric tends to have a short attention span. I think back and in the four years we've been friends, the longest relationship he's had was eight months. My nerves suddenly come back with a vengeance. How can I let my kids get attached to him only to have him bow out of their lives (and mine) when this runs its course? How could I jeopardize everything?

Sudden sobriety is a bitch sometimes.

My tension is palpable; he sits up and tilts my chin up so I'm meeting his eyes. "Get out of your head, Sook. Talk to me."

I sigh and look down. "What's going to happen when you get bored with me? After my boys get even more attached to you than they already are? Are we ruining everything here? I can't lose you as a friend, Eric."

When I sneak a peek up, he's frowning. "What makes you think I would get bored with you?"

"Pam, Liz, Yvette, Tara, Angel, Kate, and Ginger," I remind him sullenly. Yes, I know the name of every single girl he's dated in the past four years.

His eyes roll. "Pam was an extended fling. Liz had no sense of humor. Yvette was here on a Visa that expired and left the country. Tara realized she was more into girls. Angel was married and informed me that she had no intentions of leaving her husband. Kate moved to L.A. to become an actress on a whim. And Ginger… well, you know why she and I ended. Besides her, Liz was the only one I actually broke up with. The others… unavoidable situations came up and things just fell apart. But none of them had the base with me that you have. I think I can safely say that I know you better than just about anyone and all that does is make me want to learn even more about you. I can't wait to know you in _every_ way," he says with a lascivious smile.

"I'm serious, Eric," I say, swatting his arm slightly. "I can't start this if this is just going to be a fling or something short term. I would manage, but I can't involve my kids otherwise."

"Sook, look at me." I raise my chin and meet his gorgeous aqua eyes. "If I didn't want something long-term, I never would have agreed to more than going out tonight. I think we have what it takes to have this for the long-run, but we'll never know if we don't try."

I realize that I have to suck it up and take a chance. I nod my agreement and relax against him as he pulls me into a hug. We settle back into the bed and kiss and cuddle until sleep takes us both.

**Three years later…**

**EPOV**

"AJ, you need to call your dad. Hunter, go grab the bags by our closet door. Come on guys, it's time!" I call out to my step-sons. Hunter enthusiastically runs back into the bedroom I share with their mom, my wife of ten months.

Throwing me a look of disgust, AJ grumbles, "Why do I hafta call _him_? Why can't me and Hunter come to the hospital with you guys? We'll be good, I swear!"

Sookie answers for me, panting to control her pain. "We already talked about this, sweetheart. We don't know how long this is going to take. Gram is going to be in the room with Eric and I, and Pop can't get off work until later. I just don't think you are old enough to wrangle Hunter when our attention will be elsewhere. I'm sorry honey, but you need to stay with your dad, at least until Pop gets off work. He'll pick you guys up on his way to the hospital."

Completely out of character, AJ starts cackling wickedly. "That'll be funny. Dad is still scared of Pop. He always goes all white and quiet whenever Pop's around shooting him those dirty looks of his."

Fortunately, I've never been on the receiving end of Corbett's dirty glare and I fully intend to keep it that way. After Sookie and I started dating, I was subjected to a Stackhouse Inquisition over Sunday night dinner. Michelle and Corbett shooed the boys to the playroom to watch TV after dessert and I was questioned about everything I'd done or thought since high school. Luckily, my answers passed some kind of test and I was welcomed into the family fold.

My mom Alice was welcomed soon after, alone after being a widow for more than a decade. Once Sookie and I were engaged, we decided it was a time for our families to meet. Mom fit right in: not only does she adore Sookie, but she spoils the boys as if they were her grandchildren by blood. She and Michelle, within minutes of meeting, got on like friends for years. Unfortunately, she lives several hours away and isn't able to visit as much as either of us would like.

AJ reluctantly grabs the phone to call Alcide. Two months after the divorce was final, Alcide and Debbie had a quickie wedding at the courthouse while the boys were at school. They didn't tell anyone until the next scheduled weekend when the boys visited. To say they were not pleased would be an understatement. Six months after that, she was filing for divorce and moving out. Apparently, his inability to keep his temper came out in full-force once he signed a marriage license.

This was why AJ had been scared of his dad. Without Sookie's knowledge, Alcide had been badgering and yelling at his oldest son during their nightly phone calls for his own various failings. During a pre-bedtime chat, he confessed to me that he looked forward to the day that he was big enough and old enough to tell off his dad and make his own decision whether or not to see him. For such a gentle, big hearted boy, he had a lot of anger issues with his father, mostly having to do with the fights he would have to witness between Al and Sookie. His mom and I worked with him to help him deal with his issues.

Our wedding went a long way to help give him the family foundation he wanted, solidifying my place in the boys' lives. From the moment my relationship with Sookie went from friendly to romantic, I knew her kids would be priority one and I felt that was only right. I knew that she had to keep some kind of civil relationship with their father for the boys and didn't let myself worry when she would linger at pick-ups and drop-offs. There were issues, like AJ's dyslexia and Hunter's preschool, which had to be discussed. Although she no longer wanted him in _her_ life in any capacity, she would stay long enough to keep him updated as to the kids' lives.

About a year after the divorce was final, Sookie and I began house hunting, as both our homes were too small. One day while the boys were at school, we met with a realtor to look at some affordable properties that would be in close proximity to her parents and our job. After a full day of searching and finding nothing that fit our needs, we were feeling disappointed until the agent pulled into the drive of the last showing. The brick ranch house appealed to us both at first sight. Off a country road, there was a huge yard where the boys could play, lined by woods. A two-car garage, eat-in kitchen, living room, den, office with built-in bookshelves, dining room, 3 bedrooms with a master suite that was bigger than I'd ever seen, a finished basement with storage and a workshop, plus an additional bedroom and bath. Both of us loved it immediately, but knew it was slightly out of our price range. The realtor assured us that it wasn't; the owners were on the verge of foreclosure and the bank was willing to accept a short-sale and gave us the price. Sookie and I just stared at each other for a few silent moments before agreeing to buy the house. When the agent went out to her car to get some paperwork, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ring.

I had spoken with Corbett, Michelle, AJ, and Hunter during the previous night's dinner. When I told them my plans to propose, all four of them enthusiastically approved. Michelle, wiping her cheeks, retreated to her bedroom and returned a few moments later. Holding out her hand to me, she said, "This was the ring my father gave my mother. When she gave it to me, she wanted me to offer it to the man who would love my baby the way my dad loved her: without bounds. The boys' father (she never mentioned Alcide by his first name) never mentioned his plan to propose and when I offered him this ring after the fact, he seemed to think my girl would want the new ring over a 'hand-me-down', showing me just how little he truly knew her. You'll have to tell me what her reaction is when you offer this ring to her; I know she's wanted it for years."

When I knelt on the shiny hardwood floor of what would be our new house, she gasped and started sobbing when she saw the ring I held out to her. Kneeling down next to me, she wrapped her arms around my neck and thanked me before I could even say a word. I managed to ask her to marry me through her tears and she nodded emphatically, holding out a shaky hand. Her grandmother's ring seemed made for her slender finger and fit perfectly.

After signing the necessary paperwork to lay claim to our new house, we left to pick the boys up from their summer day camp. Once in the car, they were both bursting at the seams, wanting to know their mom's answer to the question they knew I had asked. When she showed them the ring on her left hand, they both cheered like little maniacs. AJ wanted the "pleasure" of breaking the news to his dad during the phone call that night. It was granted by his smirking mother and we all went back to her house to have dinner.

We had a small ceremony just a few months later, only having family and close friends in attendance. My buddy Sam was my best man and Sookie's cousin Hadley was her maid of honor. Her father gave her away, breaking his self-proclaimed rule of only attending "one wedding and one funeral" per person in his life. She wore a very light sea foam green dress, feeling true white wouldn't be appropriate for her second wedding and carried pale pink roses for her bouquet. I was fairly casual, wearing dress slacks and a button-down white shirt without a tie. We said our vows before a justice of the peace and took our small group of guests out to dinner to celebrate.

The one thing I insisted on was a honeymoon that would surprise her. She agreed and was assured by her parents that they had no problem seeing the boys off to school while we were gone. Once our post-ceremony dinner was done, I took our pre-packed bags and drove to the airport. When she saw our destination at the gate, she gasped. "Greece? Really? You're taking me to Greece?" she squealed.

I was taking her to the place she had told me that she's always dreamed of going to. We spent a week sunning ourselves on the Mediterranean beaches and sightseeing during the day and making love to the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore by night. We returned home and our regular lives tanned, relaxed, and truly happy.

Neither of us thought anything when she started waking up nauseous about six weeks later as there was a flu bug going around. However, when it carried over for more than a week, she knew it was no virus. She drove to a 24-hour pharmacy after the boys went to bed and with a simple test, confirmed what she already pretty much knew.

So here we are, thirty-two weeks later, ready to bring our child into the world. Hunter runs out of our room dragging the duffle bag down the hall, looking proud. AJ huffs a sigh after hanging up the phone and retreats to the room he's temporarily sharing with Hunter to collect the bags with their clothes for their mini-vacation with their Gram and Pop. I take the bags to the car while trying to remember if we have everything. The boys run past me and get themselves settled into the car while Sookie waddles out, breathing deeply and shooting me the dirtiest looks I've ever seen from her beautiful blue eyes.

We drop the boys off at Alcide's apartment on the way. He stands on the landing, glaring at us while the boys morosely slump out of the car. I gather their bags from the trunk and hand them off, ignoring the resentful looks I receive from their father. Each boy gives me a hug and leans in the passenger window to kiss their mom. I assure them both that we'll see them in a few hours so they can meet their new brother or sister this evening. I get another group hug before they stomp off unhappily to meet their dad.

At the hospital, I help Sookie from the car and head for the maternity ward, our registration already done in advance. A nurse gives her a gown to change into and moments later, we are greeted by Dr. Ludwig who kindly explains all of the straps, monitors, and tubes that are being connected to my wife. Although necessary, I'm not entirely comfortable with so many people checking an area of her body that only I have had access to for the past several years, despite her assurances that it's normal. Since her water broke at home, she's already in active labor and once told she's five centimeters dilated, she demands the epidural.

To take her mind off her pain while waiting for the anesthesiologist, we go over our choices of names. For a girl, we decide to honor my mom with Alice but have no idea for a middle name. If it's a boy, both grandfathers will be namesakes: Jason for my late father and Corbett for hers. Once that's finally agreed on, the epidural is administered and I am able to see my wife finally relax.

Michelle shows up a bit later while we're watching game shows on the television. When the nurse checks the tape from one of the monitors and states how the contractions are getting stronger, Sookie laughs at the downright filthy look her mother gives her. Apparently it's been a joke for the past eleven years: Michelle was jealous of her daughter getting epidural pain relief for labor since she did Lamaze and had nothing but breathing techniques. The nurse checks again and tells Sookie she's close – eight centimeters.

It's hitting me that before then end of the day, I will be a dad and hold my child in my arms. I'm no longer young – closer to forty than thirty – but I'm gaining everything I've wanted and looked for unsuccessfully for years. Sookie looks up at me with her bright blue eyes and smiles, able to practically read my thoughts with just a glance. She squeezes my hand and kisses my knuckles.

An hour later, a final check from the nurse shows that she's fully dilated, so Michelle and I take our pre-assigned positions. Sookie has requested that I go no further down than her chest; for her comfort, I agree. Michelle assumes her standard position, ready to help with the pushing and counting. Dr. Ludwig arrives to play catcher and the delivery of our child begins.

It takes longer than anyone expected, especially for a third child. My stunning wife pushes continuously for ninety minutes before we are told the baby is almost out. With a Herculean effort on the final push, the baby joins the world and we're told we have a daughter, little Alice. Our bloody miracle is placed on Sookie's chest before I cut the cord.

Sookie is exhausted and her mother wipes her brow while I follow the doctor and nurses to watch over my baby. I don't want to miss a single one of her moments. Once she's swaddled, she's given to me to present to my wife and she is the only one I will willing let go of my new daughter for. When she rests in her mother's arms, we peek under the pink and blue striped hat. "Blonde peach fuzz… just like Hunter had," Sookie muses. A Cupid's bow mouth opens wide in a yawn and deep blue eyes blink sleepily. "I don't think we'll be able to tell who she takes after for a while. She's average length and weight and the eye color will change. Either way, she's absolutely perfect."

Her mother takes her at Sookie's request and my wife tugs me down onto the bed with her. "I wanted to mention something before we officially name her," she says, surprising me as I thought we had this decided. I nod for her to continue. "I want to make her middle name Jace for your dad. Alice Jace Northman," she says with a tentative smile.

She never fails to stun me. Unable to come up with a verbal reply, I simply lean over and kiss her… probably harder than I should since we won't be able to go much further than that for at least six weeks… the longest dry spell of our relationship.

Looking down at Alice's mouth puckering, she holds the baby to her breast and coaxes our daughter to suckle. It is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever witnessed. I manage to fit my frame behind hers on the narrow bed and let her recline against me. I slide my arms under hers and help her support our daughter's weight.

Several hours later, the boys and Corbett arrive, ready to meet the baby. I kneel down holding Alice and introduce her to her brothers before handing her to her Pop. I leave Sookie with her parents and take the boys down the street for a quick dinner and to grab some take-out for everyone else.

We grab a booth with our burgers, fries, and milkshakes and I speak to them seriously. "You guys know that with a new baby, your mom and I are going to be a little pre-occupied, right?" Both boys nod, AJ rolling his eyes a little as if to say "Do you think I'm stupid?" I cock an eyebrow at him and continue. "I want you guys to know that no matter how tired or busy we seem, if you need _anything_ from either one of us, just say the word. If your mom can't help, you know I'll step in to do what I can. Just don't think that having a baby in the house means that we're going to neglect you in any way."

Hunter, at six, clearly doesn't fully understand and seems content to munch his fries and play with his new toy. AJ, on the other hand, understands and remembers more than we'd realized. "When Hunter was born, Dad was off by himself all the time and ignored her and me and the baby. If you hadn't been coming around back then, I don't think Mom would have been able to keep up with anything. You'll help all of us out to make sure everything gets done? Mom's not going to have to handle everything by herself again?"

He's a perceptive little guy. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Your mom is going to be on maternity leave from work for about another two months, so she'll come pick you up from Gram's and Pop's house after school, just earlier than usual. But this is going to be a team effort. If she asks for a favor from you guys when I'm at work, please help her out as much as you can." At their ages, they are old enough to be assigned chores to make the household run smoother and I tell them so.

The boys appreciate me talking to them one-on-one about what to expect over the next couple of months. We place the to-go order and head back to the hospital. Corbett hands Alice off to me after I give Sookie her meal. She proceeds to inhale the first solid food she's been allowed in almost twenty-four hours while I sit in the rocking chair to stare at my daughter. AJ and Hunter say their good nights to us, leaving with Michelle and Corbett. When Alice starts making the puckered, lip-smacking face again, I hand her to Sookie and settle behind her again.

"Thank you for her," I whisper in her ear and smirk at the goosebumps that erupt on her shoulders and neck. "You are breathtaking."

She drops her head back against my chest with her eyes closed. "Thank you for her, for AJ and Hunter, our new house… thank you for everything," she breathes back, a single finger gently stroking our daughter's cheek as she suckles. "Thank you for loving me, for waiting for me… just… thank you."

"I didn't have to wait long," I chuckle softly against her neck.

"I know, but the fact that you said you _would_ wait for me to be ready to move on, to accept someone else into our lives… that meant everything."

I smile and kiss her shoulder lightly. "And now we get to start a whole new adventure with a gorgeous little girl… by the way, how high should I mount the shotgun rack by the front door?" I ask with a smirk.

"You've been spending too much time with Daddy. Don't let him fool you… he only brandished that shotgun at a date once. It was more for decoration and hardly ever loaded." Unfortunately, I can tell she's completely serious and I'm suddenly glad that Corbett liked me from the start.

"Maybe," I agree and change topics. "You know I'll always wait for you, right? Anything you want, I'll do everything in my power to grant, no matter how long it takes."

"Well…" she hedges, clearly having something in mind. "I looked over the bills and when you factor in daycare and gas, it'll actually be cheaper for me to be a stay home or go to part time. Mom said she'd be able to watch Alice a few days a week while the boys are in school. That way I can spend time with them in the evenings and help with school stuff."

"I wanted to tell you before… I put in for a transfer: regular 8-5 hours, Monday through Friday. Salary stays the same, just no second shift schedule," I tell her and she has to restrain her squeal so Alice isn't startled.

"So if I go to part time during the day, we'll actually be able to be at home – together – every night?" she asks excitedly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I don't want to miss a single second of this adventure."

She cuddles back into me affectionately. Just Alice, Sookie, and me in the bed; no one else in the room. Waiting for the woman I love was the best decision I have ever made.

**AN: The end. Please leave me thoughts!**


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